Gov. David Ige has appointed Judge Todd W. Eddins as associate judge on the Hawaii Supreme Court. The seat has been vacant since Associate Justice Richard W. Pollack retired in June, 2020. Gov. Ige selected Eddins from a field of four nominees chosen by the Judicial Selection Commission of the Hawaii State Judiciary.
“Judge Eddins has the vast knowledge and experience necessary to serve on the Hawaii Supreme Court. He has the respect of his peers and I know that he will be a welcome addition to the state’s highest court,” said Ige.
Judge Eddins was appointed to the First Circuit Court in 2017. He has presided over 85 jury trials and resolved thousands of legal motions. Judge Eddins has also sat as a substitute justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court in numerous cases. He has served on judicial committees involving judicial performance, jury instructions, and court rules.
Eddins is best known on Hawaii Island for his successful 2016 defense, along with co-counsel Richard Sing, of former Mayor Billy Kenoi, who faced criminal charges of misuse of his county purchasing card, known as a pCard.
Eddins is a graduate of the College of William &Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and the William S. Richardson School of Law, where he was executive editor of the University of Hawaii Law Review. He is a former law clerk to retired Hawaii Supreme Court Justice, the late Yoshimi Hayashi. Eddins also worked as a trial attorney at the Office of the Public Defender before entering private practice where he concentrated on complex criminal, civil, and appellate litigation.
Judge Eddins is a former member of the McCully-Moiliili neighborhood boards. He has coached youth athletics and the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility high school mock trail team. He is married with four children.
Judge Eddins’ appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.
The Hawaii Supreme Court is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices. Justices are initially appointed for a ten-year term. After the initial appointment, the Judicial Selection Commission determines whether a justice will be retained in office. A justice may not serve past the age of 70.